SUBSCRIBE:

4 Italian journalists siezed in Syria days after Assad extends offer of amnesty to kidnappers

Share

Defaced pictures of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad (C) and the current President Bashar al-Assad, are seen on a damaged mural at a regime's security base after it was seized by rebel fighters in Deir al-Zor

REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi

The International Press Institute (IPI) condemned the abduction of four Italian journalists in Syria and demanded their immediate release, as well as the release of three other journalists currently believed to be detained in Syria.

On April 5, Italy's Foreign Ministry confirmed that four Italian journalists had been abducted during the previous night in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. The Ministry said that the families of the detainees had already been informed, but declined to provide any further information on the captives or their captors.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica identified the hostage-takers as a “rebel group” and the hostages as three freelance journalists and one reporter for Italian public broadcaster RAI. La Repubblica said the journalists entered Syria earlier this month with the intention of working by day in Syria and crossing into Turkey in the evening.

The journalists were detained just days after Syria's state news agency SANA said that President Bashar al-Assad had extended an offer of amnesty to kidnappers. In an April 2 decree, Assad reportedly gave kidnappers in the country 15 days to hand over victims or face a lifetime of hard labour and a possible death sentence in the event that a victim was killed, permanently disabled or sexually abused.

IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills said: “We condemn the kidnapping of the Italian journalists and call not only for their immediate release but also for the release of all other reporters currently detained in Syria, the world's most dangerous place for journalists. We urge both the authorities and the rebels to respect journalists' status as non-combatants and to take adequate steps to locate and release all journalists currently missing and believed to be in Syria.”

A number of other foreign journalists believed to be in Syria remain missing. Austin Tice, an American freelance reporter, has been missing since Aug. 13, 2012. A video that showed him alive was released in October, but no subsequent news on his whereabouts has emerged.

Bashar Al Fahmi, a cameraman for the U.S-funded Arabic channel Al Hurra, was kidnapped along with reporter Cüneyt Ünal on Aug. 20, 2012. Syrian authorities released Ünal in November, but Al Fahmi's whereabouts are still unknown.

American war correspondent James Foley, 39, was abducted in Idlib province on Nov. 22, 2012. His whereabouts are also unknown. The journalist's family has set up a website to raise awareness about his plight and to appeal for information.

On Mar. 11, news surfaced that Ukrainian journalist Anhar Kochneva had escaped after nearly five months in captivity. Kochneva was captured in October 2012 by individuals she described upon her release as rebels.

Her reported captors initially demanded a $50 million ransom by Dec. 13, a deadline that was later extended. In January 2013, international news reports stated that the militants who reportedly held her were demanding a reduced ransom of $20 million. Kochneva, who travelled to Ukraine and Russia following her release, has now reportedly returned to Syria to fulfil a commitment she made following her release to “do everything so that people find out what is really happening here".

Syria is currently one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists and the most deadly. According to IPI's Death Watch, more than 40 journalists have been killed in the country since the current conflict between loyalist and anti-government forces began in March 2011.

Through this report the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) aims to highlight cases of ongoing killings, attacks and threats against journalists and other media workers in four countries, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and makes recommendations to enhance their protection using international mechanisms including the United Nations system.

The report examines the growing perils of journalism in Syria, analyzing the evolution in the dangers and identifying the origins of the threats and difficulties that Syrian and foreign news provider have encountered during the 32 months of the conflict.

Attacks:

More from Attacks

The Indonesian press has not been free from violence and abuse against journalists. There were more than 60 cases recorded from 2017 to March 2018, with at least 20 percent of the cases involving women journalists.

Despite state-sponsored repression and social stigma, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the Middle East and North Africa are finding ways to speak out. They are telling their stories, building alliances, networking across borders, developing national and regional movements, and finding creative ways to combat homophobia and transphobia.

In view of the examination of Guatemala before the Human Rights Committee in March 2018, the Centre for Informative Reports on Guatemala (CERIGUA), with the support of IFEX and the International Network for Human Rights (RIDH), produced an alternative report on the aforementioned issues covering the time- period between 2012 and February 2018, the month in which this report was completed.

Covering women’s issues does not come without danger. A female editor was murdered for denouncing a sexist policy. A reporter was imprisoned for interviewing a rape victim. A woman reporter was physically attacked for defending access to tampons, while a female blogger was threatened online for criticizing a video game. For International Women’s Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) wants to turn the spotlight on violence against journalists covering these issues. This report does not address the status of women journalists, equal employment of women in journalism or sexist (or non-sexist) attitudes in the media. These issues have been widely covered and debated elsewhere. This report focuses specifically on threats and violence against both men and women reporters covering women’s rights.

Freedom Forum monitored FoE during the elections as it concerns citizens' freedom of expression through the ballot box. Therefore, any action creating an unfavourable atmosphere for the elections is also a violation of freedom of expression.

A recent HKJA survey indicates a slight rise in the Hong Kong Press Freedom Index after two consecutive years of decline. Journalists on the ground believe that the situation has worsened in 2016, compared to the year before. HKJA chairperson Sham Yee-lan explained that the slight increase in the Press Freedom Index was likely to be related to the emergence of online media, which has led to some diversity in the industry.

This report presents the findings of a three-month study focused on mapping, observing and analysing online harassment of journalists in Hungary. The study aimed to identify the types of harassment journalists are subject to, which journalists are typically harassed, who the harassers are, and how journalists cope with harassment.

Combining both violent and nonviolent methods, the Communist Party's policies are designed to curb the rapid growth of religious communities and eliminate certain beliefs and practices, while also harnessing aspects of religion that could serve the regime's political and economic interests.

Many journalists increasingly practice self-censorship, fearing retribution from security forces, military intelligence, and militant groups. Media outlets in 2016 remained under pressure to avoid reporting on or criticising human rights violations in counterterrorism operations. The Taliban and other armed groups threatened media outlets and targeted journalists and activists for their work.

Chinese authorities' enforced disappearance of critics from Hong Kong and other countries in 2016 garnered headlines globally. Beijing's decision to interfere in a politically charged court case in Hong Kong in November undermined judicial independence and the territory's autonomy. In the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing continued its highly repressive rule, curtailing political activity and many peaceful expressions of ethnic and religious identity.

Bangladesh witnessed a spate of violent attacks against secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, foreigners, and members of religious minorities in 2016. Several laws were proposed during the year to increase restrictions on freedom of expression.

Freedom Forum observed a relatively peaceful atmosphere for the media this year (2016) with a significant decline in the number of press freedom violations. FF recorded only 25 incidents of press freedom violations during 2016 versus 83 in 2015.

Pakistan is among the countries that do not properly investigate and prosecute crimes against media professionals. Because of the near absolute level of impunity, most of the people who attack, injure or even murder media journalists in Pakistan remain free.

Take Action!

Satirical cartoons of political leaders are widely understood as a crucial form of social commentary around the world. In Turkey, however, they're yet another way the government criminalizes social criticism.

IFEX publishes original and member-produced free expression news and reports. Some member content has been edited by IFEX. We invite you to contact [email protected] to request permission to reproduce or republish in whole or in part content from this site.

Get more stories like this

Sign up for our newsletters and get the most important free expression news delivered to your inbox.